Harris R. Sherline

...the flip side of unlimited demand is a shortage of supply. And, not having enough doctors, nurses, or expensive equipment, such as CAT Scans and MRIs, eventually leads to rationing. Without enough health care to go around, rationing becomes a necessity. That has been the failing with nationalized health care in England, Canada, Germany, Japan, the former USSR, everywhere it has been tried.

Extreme caution must be exercised in almost any employee-related matter lest we run afoul of the law and draw a discrimination lawsuit of one sort or another. And, the amount of time, effort and energy that’s expended (read wasted) for that purpose often diverts management’s attention from conducting the business of the firm, at considerable loss of time and money.

Random thoughts about a variety of issues.

David M. Walker, Controller General of the United States, has been speaking around the country for over two years, delivering the message that the U.S. is rapidly going bankrupt.

It’s little wonder that there are so many problems in America today when there is such contradictory, schizophrenic behavior in our society.

Alexis de Tocqueville's prescient observations are as valid today as they were over 170 years ago and, from the vantage point of having visited here so early in our history, it’s truly remarkable how accurate his conclusions about the contemporary American character and system of government were.

A survey of family physicians found that 71 percent felt DTC (Direct To Consumer) ads pressure doctors into prescribing drugs that they would not normally prescribe.

It’s obvious that the failure to regulate campaign finance certainly is not for lack of trying. The theory generally seems to have been that if we could just get money out of the equation, the political process would somehow eliminate corruption and favoritism.

Putting aside the government’s hype and PR initiatives, the reason our income tax system is so successful is FEAR. Fear of being audited, fear of being assessed, fear of tactics employed to collect unpaid taxes, fear of intrusion into our personal affairs, fear of not being able to defend ourselves against the unlimited power of government in general and the IRS in particular.

One of the major reasons for the rise in food prices is the skyrocketing price of oil, which impacts every stage of food production and distribution, “from fertilizers to tractors to transport. At the same time, demand for grain has never been higher, not only to feed the rising affluence of populous China and India but also to fuel cars and trucks as the world turns to ethanol and biodiesel.”

David M. Walker, Controller General of the United States, has been speaking around the country for over two years, delivering the message that the U.S. is rapidly going bankrupt.

“There ought to be a law” is an old cliché. So, why not prevent “price gouging” and “excess profits” by passing laws to regulate everything involved in producing and delivering all goods and services?

Putting aside the government’s hype and PR initiatives, the reason our income tax system is so successful is FEAR. Fear of being audited, fear of being assessed, fear of tactics employed to collect unpaid taxes, fear of intrusion into our personal affairs, fear of not being able to defend ourselves against the unlimited power of government in general and the IRS in particular.

...the flip side of unlimited demand is a shortage of supply. And, not having enough doctors, nurses, or expensive equipment, such as CAT Scans and MRIs, eventually leads to rationing. Without enough health care to go around, rationing becomes a necessity. That has been the failing with nationalized health care in England, Canada, Germany, Japan, the former USSR, everywhere it has been tried.

Rights can be measured on a continuum, ranging from not having any rights to absolute, unrestricted and uncontrolled rights to do or say anything, that is, anything to anyone, anytime, anywhere.

If poverty means subsisting on $1.00 to $2.00 a day throughout much of the world, what does it look like in America today, where it is generally defined on the basis of income?

One of the major reasons for the rise in food prices is the skyrocketing price of oil, which impacts every stage of food production and distribution, “from fertilizers to tractors to transport. At the same time, demand for grain has never been higher, not only to feed the rising affluence of populous China and India but also to fuel cars and trucks as the world turns to ethanol and biodiesel.”

It's not just about communication, although that’s certainly important. It’s also a pocketbook issue, about the economic impact that trying to accommodate multiple languages has on our society.

Recent reports indicate that a very high percentage of America’s students now drop out of high school, because the education they are receiving is not relevant to them.

A survey of family physicians found that 71 percent felt DTC (Direct To Consumer) ads pressure doctors into prescribing drugs that they would not normally prescribe.

...the flip side of unlimited demand is a shortage of supply. And, not having enough doctors, nurses, or expensive equipment, such as CAT Scans and MRIs, eventually leads to rationing. Without enough health care to go around, rationing becomes a necessity. That has been the failing with nationalized health care in England, Canada, Germany, Japan, the former USSR, everywhere it has been tried.

Random thoughts about a variety of issues.

If poverty means subsisting on $1.00 to $2.00 a day throughout much of the world, what does it look like in America today, where it is generally defined on the basis of income?

One of the major reasons for the rise in food prices is the skyrocketing price of oil, which impacts every stage of food production and distribution, “from fertilizers to tractors to transport. At the same time, demand for grain has never been higher, not only to feed the rising affluence of populous China and India but also to fuel cars and trucks as the world turns to ethanol and biodiesel.”

Putting aside the government’s hype and PR initiatives, the reason our income tax system is so successful is FEAR. Fear of being audited, fear of being assessed, fear of tactics employed to collect unpaid taxes, fear of intrusion into our personal affairs, fear of not being able to defend ourselves against the unlimited power of government in general and the IRS in particular.

Legislators resort to many tricks to impose taxes on an unsuspecting or ill informed public, but perhaps the most egregious is secrecy. And, “unfunded mandates” are generally adopted without most voters realizing what is happening, which is a form of stealth taxation.

It’s obvious that the failure to regulate campaign finance certainly is not for lack of trying. The theory generally seems to have been that if we could just get money out of the equation, the political process would somehow eliminate corruption and favoritism.

“…city, state and local governments have imposed a jumble of taxes, fees and surcharges on telephone bills -- and increased existing charges in a quest for greater revenues. Federal regulators have let long-distance carriers add virtually any charges they want to a customer's bill. Customers are baffled by their wireless and long-distance phone bills and are beginning to complain, authorities report.”

A survey of family physicians found that 71 percent felt DTC (Direct To Consumer) ads pressure doctors into prescribing drugs that they would not normally prescribe.

Just about every government agency levies some sort of fines for infractions of various rules. And, although estimates of potential revenue from these sources are included in the annual budgets of most government agencies, they are really just another form of stealth taxation.